Death of a Policeman by M.C. Beaton

 

In Death of a Policeman, Macbeth has to find the killer of a policeman who was sent to spy on him. Inspector Blair is up to his old tricks of trying to get rid of Macbeth. Even though we know that Blair is unbalanced, this book goes farther into some of the things happening inside Strathbane police station. Macbeth deals with the murders and secrets in ways I did not expect. I understand why he did the things he did and the results were good, but I am not Machiavellian enough to appreciate his methods in this story. There should be a clear difference between the good guys and the bad guys.

Kathi Linz

Half Bad by Sally Green

Half Bad by Sally Green

I have conflicting feelings about this book so let's start with the bad and get it over with.

Bad: I understand the literary choice of writing first person and that this first person isn't very educated but the halting short sentence narrative drove me bananas. I nearly stopped reading. The story is a bit slow and is mostly important for background information on Nathan our horribly abused protagonist. And worst of all, it's yet another trilogy.

But... 

Good: It's a good story. I think it might be one of the few trilogies where the second book might be more enjoyable than the first. Nathan has an indomitable will to survive, couple that with the ability to heal quickly and it makes for some pretty awful scenes of brutality which are well written and don't feel gratuitous. There are some pretty interesting characters, my favorite is Celia. She's fascinating. You want to learn about the motivations behind these characters behaviors. 

Like I said, it's a good story; one you will want to finish. And you will HATE waiting for the next installment.

Lola Snyder, MLS
Head of Youth Services

Sell It Online: How to Make Money Selling on eBay, Amazon, Fiverr and Etsy by Nick Vulich

Sell It Online: How to Make Money Selling on eBay, Amazon, Fiverr and Etsy by Nick Vulich is similar to the Freaking Idiots Guides: 4 Book Bundle by the same author. Nick Vulich covers the big four in each book but includes information on other ways to make online money in each. Sell It Online has a section on blogging and life coaching besides selling items and services in Amazon, eBay, Fiverr and Etsy. He gives very clear instructions for setting up accounts and listing items. He thoroughly covers customer service.

If you have a notion to try selling online or posting ebooks to Kindle, check out this book for more information.

Kathi Linz

Freaking Idiots Guide to Selling on eBay, fiverr, Public Domain, and Kindle by Nick Vulich

This book is four guides in one package. If you have any plan to try eBay, fiverr, writing for Kindle, or using public domain works, this is a good place to get information.

The four titles by Nick Vulich are:

Freaking Idiots Guide to Selling on eBay
Freaking Idiots Guide to fiverr
Freaking Idiots Guide to Making Money with the Public Domain
Freaking Idiots Guide to Writing a Kindle Bestseller.

The author has been selling on eBay for 15 years and making a living at it since 2004 and that is the largest section in this book. The other titles are also very helpful.

Kathi Linz

Quilting Happiness: Projects, Inspiration and Ideas to Make Quilting More Joyful by Christina Lane and Diane Gilleland

Quilting Happiness: Projects, Inspiration and Ideas to Make Quilting More Joyful by Christina Lane and Diane Gilleland is written for quilters who use traditional designs working with modern fabrics. The authors say that this book isn't for beginners, but explain that the designs are fairly simple and they give tips and tools in the back of the book to make it easy to understand what they are talking about.

This book is currently in the New Book section.

Kathi

Ornament Extravaganza by The Decorative Arts Collection Museum

Ornament Extravaganza is a great book for artists who would like to paint ornaments for various holidays.
Many of these designs would work beautifully on a Christmas tree. There are also designs for Valentine's Day, Fourth of July and Halloween.

If you are handy with a paintbrush, come and check this book out for some new ideas.

Kathi

Little Aran and Celtic Knits for Kids: 25 Designs for Babies and Young Children by Martin Storey

If you are a passable knitter and have little ones to keep warm, you will enjoy Little Aran and Celtic Knits for Kids: 25 Designs for Babies and Young Children by Martin Storey.

Most of the patterns are sweaters and jackets with cabling, Celtic knot designs, or little animals knitted into the piece. Some have hoods, some are slip-overs, and some are button-down. There are also socks, blocks, and an alphabet blanket.

It's currently in the New Book section.

Kathi Linz

Among Thieves by David Hosp

Jackson County Public Library's Fantastic Fiction group is reading Among Thieves by David Hosp this month.

The first chapter is rife with language I would ordinarily prefer not to read. Once I got past that obstacle, the story was full of interesting twists and turns.

Everything turns on a twenty-year old robbery at a private art museum. No one to date has figured out who did the robbery or where the Old Masters' paintings are. Also a two men with checkered pasts are found murdered with evidence of unbelievable torture preceding their deaths. How are these tied together? It seems that someone who wants those missing paintings is tracking down anyone he believes might have knowledge of their whereabouts and will stop at nothing to get the information.

Scott Finn, an attorney whose life started on the wrong side of town, finds himself with a client who does know about the paintings and whose life is now in danger because of it. As the story progresses, the client's daughter and Finn himself find themselves in the murderer's sights.

If you can stomach the earthy language, this story will keep your attention. It's even more compelling because it is based on a real theft at that museum.

Kathi Linz

Blackberry Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke

Joanne Fluke is still cooking when it comes to her mysteries with recipes. The cookie and muffin recipes tucked between chapters sound excellent.

Hannah is driving her cookie truck through a rural area during a crashing thunderstorm when she spots a tree limb down in the road. As she hits the brakes to stop, the truck skids and she feels a thump. Hannah gets out of the truck to check it out and finds that she has hit a man and he's dead.

Although it was completely an accident, Hannah ends up in jail for the weekend on a charge of vehicular homicide. She sends her family, friends and coworkers in search of the man's identity, since no one in town has ever seen him before.

On top of that, Delores, Hannah's mother, has told her four daughters that they can plan her wedding. But every time they try to suggest, colors, flowers, music, or anything else about the wedding, Delores changes her mind. The end result is that there is still no plan and time is running out.

A few of the riddles posed in this book come to a satisfactory conclusion, but this book is obviously part one of two since Hannah still has to go on trial for the man's death and the wedding has not yet taken place. I have to wait (as patiently as possible) for part two.

Joanne Fluke, soon please.

Kathi Linz

Crochet Love: 27 Sweet and Simple Zakka-Inspired Projects by Jenny Doh

In Crochet Love: 27 Sweet and Simple Zakka-Inspired Projects, Jenny Doh has found small and simple decorative pieces that will make your home more cheerful or would be great gifts for any occasion.

If you (like me) were not aware of the meaning of Zakka, it is a Japanese-inspired way of improving anything and everything that has to do with your home, life, and appearance.

Some of these cheerful patterns include crocheted covers for a rock paperweight or a brick that serves as a door-stopper. There are crocheted belts and cocktail rings. Old sheets are turned into pretty seat covers and old plastic bags into strong and useful totes. She makes jar cozies, coasters and decorations for lemonade glasses. There a pattern for a cover for a three-ring binder, a toddler's crown, and a skinny scarf which looks like it wouldn't take more than half an hour to work up.

That is only the tip of the iceberg. So if you have an itch to decorate yourself or your space, come and check out this book. It's in the new section for the time being.

Kathi Linz

Organic Gardening by Lavelle

Lavelle's Organic Gardening is absolutely full of how-to-garden expertise boiled down into easy-to-understand pages. The photos clearly show you how to follow all steps of gardening to create your flower and vegetable gardens, ponds and more. I recommend this, but must warn that the print is small!

Safely Buried by John Pesta

Safely Buried by John Pesta is not a cozy mystery.

Phil Larrison, a reporter/editor for The Gleaner, starts off innocently enough by picking up a lady, Paula Henry, clumping along the road with a cast on her broken leg. After she directs him to an out-of-the-way house where her friends live, he helps her get into the house after no one answers the door. The two of them find the residents upstairs in the bathroom in a badly decomposed state. Phil calls the police and Paula disappears.

While trying to get a story for the newspaper, Phil uncovers an intricately woven web of criminal cover-ups and corruption. Blackmail, illegal drugs and chemicals (not what you may be thinking), child abuse, and more deaths come to light - all of them supposed to be "Safely Buried".

John Pesta writes from a local perspective. Meridian County is our Jackson County. I will leave you to figure out which town he calls Campbellsville and which is Brickton. Maybe you will even recognize the area called Blind Horse Hollow where most of the action takes place.

Once I got into the story, I had trouble turning out the light before I finished the book.

Kathi Linz

Paleo Bread: Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Paleo-Friendly Bread Recipes

Paleo Bread: Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Paleo-Friendly Bread Recipes by Rockridge Press gives ten tips for baking gluten-free bread as well as dozens of recipes for different types and different flavors of breads.

The tips that sticks with me most is that paleo-friendly bread is more like a quick bread than a raised bread. It can still be toasted and dipped in your soup. It can be sliced for sandwiches. It will be different, but just as useful as gluten bread.

If you want to go gluten-free, but miss the bread or haven't found a good substitute yet, this may be the book for you.

Kathi Linz

Best Shot in the West: The Adventures of Nat Love

Best Shot in the West: The Adventures of Nat Love by Patricia McKissack and Fredrick McKissack, Jr. is based on Nat Love's autobiography.

Nat Love was born a slave. He describes his master as a good man, but his master failed to tell his slaves after the end of the Civil War that they were free. Once they found out, life became more difficult as they had to find the means to provide for themselves.

One by one, the older members of Nat's family die leaving Nat more and more in charge of being the breadwinner. He earns money by breaking horses. Eventually he travels west to become a cowboy.

Many well-known Western figures show up in this story: Billy the Kid, Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and Bill Cody to name a few.

In the space of Nat Love's lifetime, the West changed from vast open prairies filled with buffalo and tribes of Native Americans to a land crossed by railways and a few small herds of wild buffalo.

This is not a manga book, but rather an illustrated version of real history. It reminds me of the Classics Illustrated comic books I used to read when I was young.

Kathi Linz